UK sending 1,200 troops to fill in as ambulance crews strike

The British government said Sunday it will dispatch 1,200 troops to fill in for striking ambulance drivers and border staff as multiple public sector unions walk off the job in the week before Christmas.

Ambulance crews are due to strike on Wednesday, joining nurses, railway staff, passport officers and postal workers, who are all staging a series of walkouts in the coming weeks.

Unions are seeking pay increases to keep pace with inflation. The Conservative government argues that double-digit raises would drive inflation even higher, and has tried to pin blame for disruption on union leaders.